Leading the New York Knicks to an NBA championship has not changed how Jalen Brunson views himself, as the superstar guard remains determined to keep grinding and stay grounded despite his success.
Despite ending the Knicks' 53-year NBA title drought and becoming New York's latest sports hero, Jalen Brunson will still not think highly of himself.
The reigning NBA Finals MVP is keeping his feet on the ground despite everything he has achieved throughout the historic 2025-26 season with the franchise.
“Hasn’t,” Brunson told the New York Post's Dexter Henry when asked how being an NBA champion changed the way he sees himself. “I wouldn’t do it.
“It will be the same. It’s something that I get to walk around with and think about when I need to give myself a little confidence, or whatever, just in certain situations. But my approach and everything has to be the same. Just because I’ve reached the mountaintop of winning an NBA championship doesn’t mean that it’s over with.
"I feel like there’s still a lot more to do and a lot more that I can prove. It’s 100 percent always going to be in the mind, I’m just not going to let it define me.”
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Jalen Brunson leads Knicks' NBA title run
Jalen Brunson cemented his all-time great case as the driving force of the New York Knicks' 2026 NBA title, authoring one of the most compelling stories in basketball after beginning his career as a second-round talent.
With his scoring brilliance, clutch takeover, and leadership, Brunson shrugged off his wrist issues to guide the Knicks in one of the most dominant playoff runs of all time. New York took off with a 16-3 postseason run to win its first NBA title since 1973.
Against the San Antonio Spurs in five games, Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds to lead the Knicks and crown himself the NBA Finals MVP. The title series win sealed the Knicks' storybook finish this past 2025-26, where they also won the NBA Cup championship.
Jalen Brunson addresses wrist issues amid Knicks NBA title run
Jalen Brunson made it clear that he was unfazed by his left wrist issues, knowing that the stakes are high for him and the New York Knicks to win it all.
Brunson notably underwent a minor procedure to repair a tendon issue in his left wrist and hand, an injury he nursed until the end of the Knicks' successful title rally.
“I just knew that the opportunity rarely presents itself to be in a position like that,” Brunson said. “So I just wasn’t going to let something that seemed minor take me out. Just [do] whatever needed to be done, [then] focus on it afterwards.”
In the end, Brunson's resilience served as another symbol of the Knicks' championship run, with New York finally back on the mountaintop after decades of shortcomings.
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